Book 8: Chapter 96: Nirvana Core

The ma.s.sive eight-trigram ritual array connected to the world, sealing Zhu Qiqi.

Although Zhu Qiqi was the Vermilion Bird Prime, possessing immense strength, it could not resist the control of the Vermilion Bird Deity, especially considering that Jiang Lianshan had prepared this ritual array for it over eight hundred thousand years.

Zhu Qiqi had broken her word, and Jiang Lianshan revealed his sinister intentions.

Although Zhu Qiqi had some means at its disposal, it failed to use them in time, rendering them useless. Jiang Lianshan did not give it a chance; with a wave of his hand, the ma.s.sive eight-trigram ritual array shuddered, and Zhu Qiqi felt its Vermilion Bird Deity about to be torn apart.

Under the tremendous pressure, the humiliated Zhu Qiqi reluctantly spat out a flaming nirvana core.

When the nirvana core emerged and hovered in the air, the surrounding s.p.a.ce trembled as if this nirvana core did not quite belong there.

The nirvana core contained Zhu Qiqi’s vast energy. The instant it expelled the nirvana core, it suddenly withered as though it had expelled its vitality along with the nirvana core.

“A nirvana core? Hahaha! It’s really a nirvana core!” Jiang Lianshan’s eyes lit up with excitement.

By swallowing the nirvana core, he could achieve nirvanic rebirth, no longer confined to this fire deity body, and reconstruct a set of three spiritual souls and seven physical souls, reshaping his physical body.

“I’ve given you the nirvana core; now release me!” Zhu Qiqi demanded, its tone seething with resentment.

However, Jiang Lianshan paid no heed. Instead, he kept his eyes locked on the nirvana core as he reached out to grab it.

But just then, Yinggou’s eyes suddenly gleamed. Without hesitation, she pounced.

Jiang Lianshan’s face tensed. “Yinggou, what are you doing?”

“I’m helping you grab it!” Yinggou rushed forward without looking back.

Yinggou’s almost frantic behavior made Jiang Lianshan deeply uneasy.

“How dare you try to s.n.a.t.c.h my things?!” Jiang Lianshan’s expression changed as he instantly rushed over.

It looked like Yinggou would grab the nirvana core.

However, Jiang Lianshan instantly threw a palm strike.

“Huh?” Yinggou’s face sank as she countered the palm strike.

Boom!

A deafening report rang out as s.p.a.ce trembled violently. Yinggou and Jiang Lianshan came to a halt in midair.

“Yinggou, you’ve got quite the nerve, laying your hands on my nirvana core!” Jiang Lianshan exclaimed angrily, his eyes wide with fury.

They were both close to the nirvana core, neither willing to yield an inch, locked in a standoff. Each watched the other to prevent them from approaching the precious nirvana core. ????????????.???

“I am the new leader of the shaman race. Why wouldn’t I dare?” Yinggou replied calmly.

On the side, the withered Zhu Qiqi, who had fallen silent, suddenly widened its eyes and turned to Yinggou. “You’re the new leader of the shaman race? What about Jiangchen?”

Yinggou and Jiang Lianshan ignored Zhu Qiqi’s question.

“Yinggou, you owe your current position to me,” Jiang Lianshan stated coldly.

“No, it’s not you; it’s Jiang Lianshan. You’re just Jiang Lianshan’s fire deity, nothing more. Besides, even if that were the case, what of it?” Yinggou sneered.

“You pretended to join me on purpose, but your real goal was the nirvana core!” Jiang Lianshan’s face contorted with resentment.

“So what if I did? Humph! Jiang Lianshan, your era has pa.s.sed, yet you, a defective product, want to stir up trouble? I think that’s unnecessary!” Yinggou said coldly.

“Don’t forget, you couldn’t even withstand a punch from Gu Hai. Now you want to turn against me? You’re asking for trouble!” Jiang Lianshan retorted in an icy voice.

Amid their argument, Jiang Lianshan charged at Yinggou.

Boom!

Their fists collided in midair, but this time, Jiang Lianshan did not push Yinggou back. Instead, they remained locked in a stalemate.

“This isn’t right. Your strength… You couldn’t even withstand Gu Hai’s punch the other day. You couldn’t even stop Hou Yi’s arrows!” Jiang Lianshan exclaimed in amazement.

“If I hadn’t held back a bit, how could you have trusted me?” Yinggou retorted with a sly smile.

“Excellent! Excellent! Excellent! Yinggou, I underestimated you. But remember, this is the East Spiritual Fire Sea, and you’re just the water-attributed zombie ancestor!” Jiang Lianshan spat out in frustration.

Everything had been under his control, but he never expected Yinggou to turn against him. Jiang Lianshan despised this feeling, and his anger towards Yinggou intensified.

“So what if I’m the water-attributed zombie ancestor? Water counters fire. Jiang Lianshan, step aside, and I’ll help you create a zombie body so you can leave the East Spiritual Fire Sea,” Yinggou replied calmly.

“Hah! Hahaha! A zombie body? Submit to you? What a joke! What a joke! Yinggou, I created you, yet you dare defy me today? It looks like you don’t need to exist anymore!” Jiang Lianshan declared coldly.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Jiang Lianshan and Yinggou simultaneously exerted tremendous force with their arms, kicking up violent waves in the East Spiritual Fire Sea.

Neither wanted the other to get the nirvana core. As they fought, they strayed away from the nirvana core.

The eyes of Zhu Qiqi, whose body had already withered, lit up. “Haha! Truly a dog-eat-dog world!”

The nirvana core was within reach. A faint red light emanated from Zhu Qiqi’s body. Although the vermilion bird was bound, Jiang Lianshan was not currently maintaining the ma.s.sive eight-trigram ritual array. Therefore, it could soon break free from its bindings and reclaim the nirvana core.

“Fight, fight on! Just wait a little longer, and you’ll see. It’s forever mine, my nirvana core!” Zhu Qiqi eagerly stared at the nirvana core in the sky not far away.

Just as Zhu Qiqi was filled with hope, a right hand suddenly appeared beneath the nirvana core.

A right hand?

Zhu Qiqi was puzzled. Where did that right hand come from?

But then, the right hand grabbed the nirvana core.

The right hand seized the nirvana core. Gu Hai suddenly appeared and grabbed the nirvana core.

“What? There’s someone else?” Zhu Qiqi exclaimed in shock.

The first to emerge from the Dreamscape Field, Gu Hai had headed straight for this location.

However, when Gu Hai arrived, Jiang Lianshan and Yinggou were already fighting, so they had not noticed his sudden appearance.

Gu Hai spotted Zhu Qiqi, who was over sixteen kilometers tall, but at this moment, he had no time to pay it any attention. He swiftly searched for Jingwei.

In an instant, he saw a faint wisp of smoke above the altar.

“Waner!”

At the sight of that wisp of smoke, Gu Hai’s eyes widened in panic.

Did I arrive too late? Has Jingwei already been sacrificed, and has Lin Waner met the same fate?

They are dead? Even their ashes have burned away, leaving only a few remnants.

“No, no!” Gu Hai cried out in horror.

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At the same time, Everlasting Nether Capital:

“No!” The skeleton Gu Hai let out an instinctual cry.

“Brother-in-Law, what’s wrong?” Long Wanyu asked anxiously.

“We were just one step away. Lin Waner has turned into ashes; there’s only a wisp of smoke left!” the skeleton Gu Hai said regretfully.

“Only a wisp of smoke? Wait a minute, isn’t Zhu Qiqi there? Brother-in-Law, why don’t you ask Zhu Qiqi for help? Her nirvana core can help someone undergo nirvanic rebirth, even from ashes!” Long Wanyu suggested.

Gu Hai suddenly raised his head and asked in surprise, “Nirvanic rebirth from ashes? Is there still hope? You mean Waner can be saved?”

“Yes, but it might be difficult. It requires Zhu Qiqi’s nirvana core, and she’s a rather petty person; she might not agree,” Long Wanyu replied with a wry smile.

“Nirvana core? I see the nirvana core. How do I use it?” Gu Hai asked urgently.

“Just place it directly in the ashes of the deceased. As long as it hasn’t been over two hours, they can undergo nirvanic rebirth from the ashes. However, Brother-in-Law, do you think Zhu Qiqi will agree?” Long Wanyu asked in astonishment.

“She will agree. She has to!” the skeleton Gu Hai said with excitement.

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The East Spiritual Fire Sea:

Gu Hai’s true body took advantage of Jiang Lianshan and Yinggou’s intense battle and rushed to the nirvana core. He grabbed it and promptly dashed to the wisps of smoke that were all that remained of Jingwei.

“No! What are you doing? That’s my nirvana core! Give it back to me!” Zhu Qiqi screeched in anger.

In the distance, Jiang Lianshan and Yinggou suddenly heard Zhu Qiqi’s furious cries amid their fierce battle and turned their heads.

“Gu Hai? How dare you?! That’s mine!” Yinggou yelled while glaring.

They saw Gu Hai heading towards the wisps of smoke that were once Jingwei while holding the nirvana core. Jiang Lianshan suddenly understood Gu Hai’s intentions. He wants to save Jingwei?

I worked diligently for eight hundred thousand years, killing Jingwei in the process, to get this nirvana core. If you waste it on Jingwei, won’t my efforts for the past eight hundred thousand years be wasted?

“Gu Hai, you are courting death!” Jiang Lianshan roared.

Gu Hai had no time to worry about the looming threat from Jiang Lianshan and Yinggou. He reached the wisps of smoke representing Jingwei’s essence and gently placed the nirvana core within them as if putting it in her mouth.

Buzz!

The nirvana core suddenly emitted a colorful light, instantly enveloping all the wisps of smoke Jingwei had turned into. The flames in the surroundings were rapidly absorbed, leaving Jingwei’s body covered in a misty gray, as if countless streams of light were rus.h.i.+ng into her.

At this moment, the formidable power of the nirvana core was in full display. Under its influence, the ashes and smoke of Jingwei seemed to turn back the clock, reversing time and rapidly bringing her back to life.

The power of time reversal was the power of the nirvana core, which was slowly melting, fueling Jingwei’s rebirth.

“No, my nirvana core!” Zhu Qiqi, Jiang Lianshan, and Yinggou cried out practically in unison.

At this very moment, not far away, two loud reports resounded.

Boom! Boom!

It was Ba and the Divine Farmer Hoe, who had just broken through the Dreamscape Field and arrived.

Upon their arrival, they saw Jiang Lianshan and Yinggou charging Gu Hai.

However, the hazy figure of Jingwei stood before Gu Hai.

“What’s happening?” Ba swiftly flew over in alarm.

Rumble…!

Yinggou and Jiang Lianshan arrived, each unleas.h.i.+ng a fierce and menacing aura as they threw palm strikes. This aura threatened to scatter Jingwei’s ashes and smoke.

“Block them! I’m saving Jingwei! Quickly!” Gu Hai shouted at Ba and the Divine Farmer Hoe, protecting Jingwei’s essence to prevent it from dispersing.

In perfect synchronization, both Ba and the Divine Farmer Hoe comprehended Gu Hai’s intent. They swiftly positioned themselves in front of Gu Hai and struck out towards the sky.

Ba’s palm collided with Yinggou’s, while the Divine Farmer Hoe’s palm clashed with Jiang Lianshan’s.

Boom! Boom!

Two deafening reports boomed, echoing across the entirety of the East Spiritual Fire Sea.

Ba and Divine Farmer Hoe successfully intercepted an enraged Yinggou and Jiang Lianshan.

“Yinggou, it’s all your fault!” Jiang Lianshan bellowed in frustration.

He was just moments away from success, and now it had slipped through his fingers.

“The nirvana core has consumed just one-tenth of its energy. There’s still plenty left. Don’t blame me. It’s your own fault for missing the opportunity to scatter Jingwei’s remnants, giving Gu Hai his opportunity!” Yinggou retorted angrily.

Scatter Jingwei’s remnants?

Ba turned her head anxiously once more, looking towards Gu Hai.

“Jingwei is undergoing nirvanic rebirth. She must not be disturbed. Block them!” Gu Hai called out.

“Understood!” Ba nodded and turned back, her expression cold as she faced off against Jiang Lianshan and Yinggou.